Peninsula

The SFPUC Peninsula Watershed—23,000 acres of diverse and unique habitats ranging from oak woodlands and coniferous forests to serpentine grasslands —is carefully managed to protect the quality of the water in the reservoirs and an abundance of native plant and animal life, including many rare, threatened or endangered species. The Peninsula Watershed is also a State-designated Fish and Game Refuge and a protected area within the UNESCO Golden Gate Biosphere Reserve.

Because of its 150-year history as a protected source of safe, high-quality municipal drinking water, much of the watershed is not open for recreational activity. However, members of the public can still experience for themselves the watershed’s pristine old-growth forests, intimate meadows , and ridgetop vistas by visiting our 10-mile Fifield-Cahill Ridge Trail, or the 17.5-mile Crystal Springs Regional Trail managed by the San Mateo County Parks Department.

Ridge Trail Extension Coming

We are also developing a new and enhanced Ridge Trail extension that will link the existing trail with the Golden Gate Recreation Area (GGNRA) Phleger Estate to the south. It will create a single 16.5-mile trail across the 23,000-acre watershed and provide more educational opportunities within the watershed that are compatible with the need to protect drinking water quality and the watershed’s fragile ecosystems.